Whitney sat down with Discover Pods to discuss season two and the future of its critically acclaimed podcast, Overheard.

Discover Pods: Can you describe the podcast to our audience?

Whitney: Each week, the podcast dives into one of the curiously delightful conversations we’ve overheard around National Geographic’s headquarters, Zooms, Slack chats, texts, closet recordings sessions and all. Smuggled dinosaur bones. Man-made glaciers. An audacious quest to find the world’s southernmost tree. You’ll be introduced to the explorers, photographers and scientists at the edges of our big, bizarre, and beautiful world.

Discover Pods: How has National Geographic used its experience to craft this podcast?

Whitney: At National Geographic, experiential storytelling is really the common denominator of everything we create and share with our audiences. For decades, our photography and journalism have transported audiences to the farthest reaches of the world, and now, through the condensed, audio format, we’re taking listeners even further. Overheard delivers sophisticated, deeply reported, immersive stories – just as the magazine does – but in a format that is uniquely, deliberately a podcast. We are not making the audio version of a magazine story.

This medium brings its own intimacy – of feeling the emotion in an explorer’s voice, or hearing that a writer who you’ve been reading for years has a dry sense of humor. And it’s this that deepens the relationship between audience and story, between listener and storyteller

Discover Pods: Why enter the podcasting space?

Whitney: National Geographic is a multi-media organization with ventures in print, merchandise, film, and TV, just to name a few. Audio represents a big opportunity. It’s an opportunity to do journalism differently. And it’s an opportunity to reach the next generation of smart, curious people via a platform that we’re just starting to develop. It’s also an incredibly and increasingly competitive space.

Discover Pods: How did you develop the podcast concept?

Whitney: We hired Pineapple Street Media to help develop the initial concept for the show. Jenna Weiss-Berman and a couple of producers spent time at Nat Geo’s headquarters in DC. In one marathon session, staff members pitched them close to 40 different ideas.

We talked about a daily show but discarded that as too labor-intensive, and not a good fit for the cadence of National Geographic (a monthly magazine that publishes content daily rather than a daily news operation). We also dreamed about a narrative series that would take audiences on a field expedition to someplace that only National Geographic can go. But this concept was shelved as being too time-consuming and expensive to go out of the gate with. So we landed on Overheard, a cost-efficient, repeatable production that would serve as a learning experience as much as anything else.

Discover Pods: Did you use existing company production assets (sound studio, audio equipment, etc) to produce the podcasts? Or outsourced? Or new production equipment and sound experts brought in?

Whitney: We’ve utilized both a recording studio at National Geographic headquarters and a local recording studio; and we’ve used a mix of existing audio equipment, supplemented by new equipment as well. And we’ve teamed up with a terrific composer and sound engineer, Hansdale Hsu, in Los Angeles.

Discover Pods: The topics covered in the podcast episodes often neatly slide into the public’s perception of subject matter your company is naturally designed to cover. By design?

Whitney: At its core, Overheard is a podcast about science and exploration – about archeology, natural history, and human behavior. And while it’s true that these topics resonate with our audience, that alone isn’t enough. Each episode needs a story with a leading character, an element of surprise, and a narrative arc. Oh, and fun. Overheard is fun to listen to. We try to bring the excitement that the scientists feel to the listeners. And we want to keep it that way.

Discover Pods: How are episodes developed and are there any parameters for an episode topic?

Whitney: Each week, our team gathers (now on Zoom) to plan for next week, next month, and next season. Producers pitch ideas for episodes, argue for passion projects, and hash out logistics (especially now that we’re all working from home). We look for a great character who can deliver the story; a sense of journey – something needs to happen in the episode; and an element of surprise – that “aha” moment.

Our producers bring their own interests and curiosities to the table and also spend a lot of time talking about ideas with our editorial team – editors, producers, writers, photo editors, and photographers across the fourth floor and beyond – who we depend on for stories and storytellers. I encourage them to ask: Who have you been most excited about talking to recently? A great episode hinges on both the story itself and also a character who can deliver that story.

Discover Pods: What was the thought pattern on the running time of Overheard? Since the average commute in this country is 26.2 minutes, was there a conscious effort to keep each episode to an average listener commute?

Whitney: Yes, this was initially by design. But over three seasons, I think we’ve found 20 to 25 minutes to be a sweet spot for the content – not unsatisfyingly short, leaving you wanting more, and long enough for a deliberate narrative to unfold with a few characters.

Discover Pods: The Glass Stratosphere was one of our favorite episodes. How did the episode come about?

Whitney: I’m glad you asked. This episode did not come about in a straightforward way. But that’s indicative of what it takes to make a good show.

Our producers had become obsessed with an offhand remark our Executive Editor of Science Victoria Jaggard had made about “bags of barf on the moon”. But as intriguing – or off-putting, depending on your point of view – this is, at some point, it became clear that an episode about moon trash wasn’t going to make it. “There just wasn’t enough of a there there,” said one of our producers. Or more precisely, we couldn’t construct a deliberate, narrative story out of that singular fact. It was just a fact. So … our producers sat down with Victoria again and asked what else she had going on. Here’s what producer Jacob Pinter recalls about the making of that episode:

“Tracking down the women was actually a lot of fun. Getting in touch wasn’t too hard — we got their info from The 99s, a group for women pilots that I think was founded by Amelia Earhart. Then I cold-called. Both of the women we reached out to, Sarah and Wally, were really open about sharing that part of their lives. We ultimately focused on Sarah as our “main character.” She was so generous with her time and happy to explain anything we wanted to know about. She told us that almost 60 years later, women and girls would still come up to her and tell Sarah how much she had inspired them. So, y’know, whenever anybody has a personal story that resonates that much — especially if they’re a kind, charming person to boot. It’s really a thrill to have them on our show.”

Also, Sarah Ratley was the first interview that our host Peter Gwin did for the show. So, we got to see our host get his wings at the same time.

Discover Pods: We listened to The Virus Hunter podcast. Excellent episode and so timely. How difficult was it to put together that episode with little time to create?

Whitney: Luckily, we have a great team of producers who know how to find and tell important stories, and Brian Gutierrez hit the mark with this one.

As we went into quarantine in Washington, DC, our Science desk was buzzing about the idea of doing a story on virus hunters. We were able to quickly tap our Assistant Manager Editor of Science Kurt Mutchler for the contact – and ultimately this story.

The biggest challenge during the pandemic has been getting our experts to record themselves, but it’s now possible to get pretty decent sound from a smartphone. Rolf Hilgenfeld and his assistant made this episode possible by recording on their end.

I don’t think we ever questioned whether or not we should do an episode connected to coronavirus. The story is squarely in our larger editorial mandate and also aligns with the specific focus and format of Overheard.

Discover Pods: What’s the thought on bringing a co-host (Amy Briggs, Executive Editor of National Geographic History magazine) into the podcast? Diversity of voice? Expertise? Passion for the project?

Whitney: I’d say all those things. Peter Gwin, the host of Season 1 and 2, is a long-time reporter and writer for National Geographic; he’s curious, and a keen interviewer. But he’s also an Editor at Large and has other commitments at the magazine, including his recent reporting on snow leopards for the current issue of the magazine. Amy Briggs is a self-declared history nerd and a podcast junkie. Her enthusiasm for the medium is palpable – and infectious.

Discover Pods: The podcast’s show notes are some of the most complete and well-written in the podcast industry. What was the thought in enriching these episode notes?

Whitney: For most podcasts, they are an afterthought. In the notes, you link to other National Geographic resources. Thank you. The Show Notes are an opportunity to connect our podcast listeners with all of the amazing journalism that National Geographic has to offer across platforms – from the print magazine to our website to Instagram. Overheard is a podcast for curious people … so we want to give listeners a way to pursue this instinct.

Whitney: There is an opportunity for readers to get to know our contributors – our writers, editors, photographers, and experts in a way that feels really personal. Long-time readers may be surprised to realize that photographer Tom Peshchak sounds like a movie star, and that Executive Editor of Science Victoria Jaggard has a dry sense of humor.

Discover Pods: Any solid listener numbers to report for seasons one and two?

Whitney: Yes. We’ve had more than 4.5M downloads across our first two seasons.

Discover Pods: Any plans to expand the National Geographic podcast lineup?

Whitney: Yes, a new series is in development – stay tuned for that later this, but our current focus remains on building a stable team with a culture of editorial rigor and collaboration. We’re focused on producing Overheard at a more frequent and regular cadence – something our listeners have asked for – and on building an infrastructure to support a growing audio department at Nat Geo.

And then beyond that? I can see a kids’ show, a history show, a self-contained series connected to larger, cross-editorial efforts. And … long-form, from-the-field storytelling is such a part of National Geographic’s DNA … we are in constant, ongoing conversations about more than one self-contained, narrative shows that would transport listeners to place that only National Geographic can go.

Discover Pods: In your episode notes, you request listener feedback. What has been the tenor and volume of that feedback?

Whitney: We have an ongoing survey where listeners can give us feedback on any episode. For us, it’s one opportunity to engage with our audience and build the Overheard community.

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Overheard at National Geographic unearths the world of science, adventure and exploration and helps us open our eyes and ears to the wonders of our planet. The high production values and fascinating storytelling of Overheard reinforce that podcast listeners can be treated to tales that delight by a legacy company like National Geographic that took the time, invested in the resources and brought its best people to the project.

For a company that is 132 years old and has delighted our world with visual pictures and images of unimaginable wonder, National Geographic has created a podcast – Overheard – that drenches our ears with sonic images that enchant and educate.

The post Q&A with Whitney Johnson about National Geographic’s Overheard Podcast appeared first on Discover the Best Podcasts | Discover Pods.

What Makes Up The Best Educational Podcasts List?

I’ve included a few well-loved classics but in some cases have also (gently) pushed the boundaries of what we might consider a traditional educational podcast. I’ve tried to include enough variety to suit different tastes: design, climate change, LGBTQ+ history. And while the content of these shows varies drastically, I like to think that all are united in their ability to teach listeners something new in an engaging and accessible way. 

The best educational podcasts need to push the listener’s mental envelope a bit while remaining engaging. There’s no need to ram an idea into the listener’s ear. The idea is they adopt new ways of thinking.

I’ve done the heavy lifting on this list of the best educational podcasts, now all you have to do is sit back, press play and bask in that glorious glow of smugness.

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1. Revisionist History 

I would be remiss if I didn’t include Malcom Gladwell’s Revisionist History on my list. It’s one of the best educational podcasts available. Listen to the man himself.

In his own words, Gladwell describes it as a podcast about “things overlooked and misunderstood.” I continually find myself surprised by each episode’s topic. One week he might be turning the story of the Boston Tea Party on its head, and the next, deep-diving into the infamous hug between Richard Nixon and Sammy Davis Jr.

In each episode Gladwell skillfully weaves seemingly disparate threads together to produce a unique, compelling thesis. He has the uncanny ability to take a specific historical moment and use it as an opportunity to teach listeners so much more about the human experience.

Prepare for the niche and the obscure, but prepare to be captivated.

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify

2. Stuff You Should Know

Stuff You Should Know (SYSK) has been running for over a decade and it continues to dominate the charts. One of the most popular educational podcasts in the world, SYSK covers, well, everything. It doesn’t matter what your areas of interests are: science, pop culture, history, they’ve probably got an episode on it.

The show is co-hosted by Chuck Bryant and Josh Clark, two men who are by no means experts in these fields, and never claim to be. The episodes are undoubtedly informative, but there are some stumbles along the way: ham-fisted remarks in moments that perhaps required delicacy, factually inaccurate (albeit hilarious) statements expressed with utter conviction.

Blunders aside, the sheer breadth of topics they address makes the show undeniably interesting and their accessible approach to explaining topics makes for easy listening. Bryant and Clark have a comfortable, endearing rapport, no doubt established after creating over one thousand episodes together. It’s like listening in on the conversation of your close friends – not always accurate, but entertaining just the same.

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify

3. Encyclopedia Womannica

Encyclopedia Wommanica is a series of vignettes about remarkable women throughout history. Cutting across different cultures, countries and centuries, the show shines a spotlight on women whose stories have often been eclipsed by dominant historical narratives.

It covers the trials, triumphs and contributions of incredible women from all different walks of life, including mathematicians, poets and civil rights activists, to name a few. While each episode features a different woman, each month is attributed a new theme ranging from dreamers and pioneers to villainesses and STEMinists.

New episodes are published every weekday and are only 5 minutes long, but trust me when I say that these bite-size episodes pack a punch and will no doubt leave you feeling inspired.

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify

4. Climate Cast

Minnesota Public Radio’s (MPR) Climate Cast is a great way to learn more about climate change and its widespread impacts. The show is hosted by MPR’s Chief Meteorologist Paul Huttner, who is often accompanied by knowledgeable and impressive guests, including political figures such as Al Gore as well as experienced researchers and academics.

While episodes can cover anything from the nuts and bolts of Hurricane Dorian to the lessons Indigenous communities can teach about tackling climate change, Huttner sticks to the science of it all and approaches each topic in a clear, factual manner.

With episodes varying from brief 4 minute breakdowns to lengthier 40-minute discussions, Climate Cast suits any schedule (and attention span). The show is precise, timely and a great way to keep abreast of climate change research and developments.

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Spotify

5. Ear Hustle

This is not your typical educational podcast, but let me explain. Ear Hustle is a show that addresses the daily realities of the people inside California’s San Quentin State Prison. For many, prisons are a mystery, with any knowledge of them limited to sensationalized movies and TV shows.

The best educational podcasts are myth dispelling machines. And Ear Hustle delivers in this regard.

By teaching listeners about what life is like for the people incarcerated in San Quentin, you begin to feel some empathy that you may not have known was there. It’s not about the particulars of any one crime, it’s about life. About the complexities of parenting while incarcerated, of the frustrations and tensions of sharing a cell, of finding a job once on the outside.

The show is heartbreaking and hilarious in equal measure, and the mix of incarcerated and non-incarcerated hosts offers a rare, unfiltered glimpse into their world – authored by the people who are living in it. It’s not only an education in the day-to-day realities of the people in this prison, but an education in America’s criminal justice system at large. Pure genius.

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify

6. 99% Invisible

99% Invisible is a hugely popular show that explores “the unnoticed architecture and design that shape our world.” It’s hosted by Roman Mars, whose rich, mellow voice has the inexplicable power to soothe even the most irritable of listeners. Informative, engaging and expertly produced, 99% Invisible has the kind of compelling narratives and high production value that can capture the attention of nearly anyone – design-minded or otherwise. As the best educational podcasts should.

The show sparks curiosity and reflection through the innovative topics it explores: the McMansion phenomenon, unpleasant design and the origin story of curb cuts are but a few of the niche yet nuanced subjects tackled.

Regardless of the topic, there’s always something interesting to be learned, and the quality of the show –  along with Mars’ dulcet tones – will be sure to keep you listening.

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify

7. Overheard at National Geographic

This is the perfect show for any restless souls out there eagerly awaiting their next adventure. Wonderfully random and playfully delivered, this is a show about the outlandish stories overheard from staff at National Geographic’s head office.

No one theme ties the episodes together; the randomness stretches across a variety of topics, like the truth behind Thailand’s elephant tourism industry or an underwater archaeologist’s journey scuba diving beneath a pyramid. After each episode you’ll discover new, unusual insights into topics you might never have considered.

Episodes generally hover under half an hour, making the perfect companion for those early morning commutes or Sunday afternoon chores. These stories will teach you a little bit more about this wild and complex world we live in, and will supply you with an abundance of peculiar facts to whip out at your next dinner party.

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify

8. Monocle 24: The Urbanist

Any city lovers out there? This is my go-to recommendation for 99% Invisible lovers looking for a new fix. With Monocle editor Andrew Tuck at the helm, The Urbanist explores the subject of creating better cities. Episodes are dynamic and ever-changing, some zeroing in on topics such as Moscow’s trolleybuses, others looking at larger themes like the impacts of private development on public spaces.

As a listener, you will be transported across the globe – often multiple times in a single episode – but will always remain in the capable hands of one of Monocle’s internationally-based correspondents or local experts. Stories alternate between longer, detail-heavy episodes and brief, poetic city portraits.

It’s an informative and thoughtful show that will have you looking at cities a little bit differently.

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify

9. Making Gay History 

The best educational podcasts push you to think harder. They’re an epistemic challenge.

Making Gay History is a moving collection of stories documenting the LGBTQ+ civil rights movement through archival interviews. It’s hosted by Eric Marcus, a journalist who set out to write a book about the movement in the 1980s.

As part of his research, Marcus recorded 100 interviews with different queer activists and advocates from across the country. Three decades later, he decided to breathe new life into the cassette tapes and turn the recordings into a podcast.

Episodes feature the voices of prominent figures such as Marsha P. Johnson, as well as the lesser-known though equally powerful stories of activists like that of Wendell Sayers. These aren’t polished, scripted narratives.

The interviews take place in the intimate spaces of people’s homes, at their kitchen tables and in their living rooms. They are unfiltered, raw and imperfect, yet undeniably compelling. Hearing this history – directly from those who lived it – is both poignant and powerful.

These are not the stories you came across in your high school history textbook, but they’re ones that deserve to be heard and need to be learned.

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify

10. Radiolab

Well-seasoned podcast listeners might be rolling their eyes at this perhaps (painfully) obvious choice. Much like Freakonomics Radio or NPR’s Ted Radio Hour, Radiolab is one of the quintessential educational podcasts, but I thought it was important to flag for anyone new to the podcasting world (also it would be downright disrespectful not to mention it because the show is just that good).

Radiolab is a nationally syndicated radio program and podcast hosted by Jad Abumrad and Robert Krulwich. The show investigates a range of scientific and philosophical topics in a wonderfully accessible way. The show is masterfully produced and its rhythm and style – in large part due to the strong narrative focus and creative sound design – make it entirely unique.

You’ll never be able to predict what the next episode might cover; standouts have explored how we see colour and an unpacking of the concept of blame. The quirkiness of the topics, combined with Abumrad and Krulwich’s magic touch, make for an immersive, educational and unforgettable experience.

Related reading: best Radiolab episodes

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify

Well there you have it! Some of the best educational podcast around. Hopefully at least one of the shows from this list has piqued your curiosity and has your finger hovering above the download button as we speak. I think I’ve supplied enough recommendations to last you a few months, meaning you’ll be able to ride that wave of smugness all the way into the New Year.

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The post 10 Educational Podcasts (You Need To Listen To) appeared first on Discover the Best Podcasts | Discover Pods.